What a wonderful symbiosis jungle and juke are. Their similarities are well documented yet, whether tempo, bass pressure or sampling philosophy, are rarely as well executed as on this Om Unit-curated collection. The original proposal for the marriage of the two genres was supposedly formed independently but at around the same time by Machinedrum and Om himself (the two later crystallised their vision under the collaborative Dream Continuum moniker) and has since been gaining momentum within the globally-dispersed dance music scene. Most of its proponents appear in fine form on “Pseudogeddon” – both genres hold disorientating, ecstatic and floor-filling qualities which the compilation juggles deftly.
Moresounds kicks things off with a cold-as-hell footwork drop and a smattering of rolling beats, though it is Machinedrum who really gets the ball rolling with his remix of Future Sound of London. His breaks are beautifully intricate, riddled with syncopated spice, his bass ferocious, roaring at the listener, and all the while the track is imbued with MD’s signature driving momentum and energy. As you might expect from the veteran heavyweight, Om Unit’s track is a standout in a crowd of killers. Jungle’s probing bassline is juxtaposed expertly with flickering Teklife drum programming, while badman spinbacks and an ecstatic Bollywood vocal sample float over the top. Chrissy Murderbot’s soulful effort takes us into Summertime park-lazing territory – all glowing horns, vibrant strings, exuberant vocals and pounding bangs. Imagine if Theo Parrish dedicated his efforts to juke. It’s that lovely. Bustos Domecq follows up with a furious tribute to DJ Rashad’s classic “Drop Juke Out” while EAN turns to the darkside with a flattening bass presence and horrifying ambient string build-ups. When all is said and done, a remarkable variety of approaches to the melding of these two genres is presented here, as well as proof that this union has moved well beyond a short-lived novelty. Indeed, so successful has the sound been that it’s currently being integrated back into the Teklife circle. And at the sweet, sweet price of free you really can’t say no.
Pseudogeddon is available now.
Stream: Pseudogeddon – Jungle Footwork Compilation
NB: We’ve compiled a list of jungle-juke releases for those of you who are further interested, please feel free to comment with anything you may have found:
Machinedrum – Ecstasy Boom, Phillip D. Kick – Footwork Jungle volumes 1, 2 and 3, Dream Continuum – Reworkz EP, Chrissy Murderbot’s excellent Loose Squares label (Sinistarr – Lost Angeles EP, Calculon – Feel EP), CL Moons and Lemonada’s equally excellent Sweeekers Volume 1 and 2, Dawn Day Night – Dawn Day Night EP, Manni Dee & Deft – Jungle Jook EP… and maybe even Zomby?
